Stomp Out the Muslim Ban!

October 4, 2017 @ 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm

In response to the current presidential administration’s travel ban targeting individuals from 6 Muslim-majority countries, young women activists from the Arab-American Family Support Center (AAFSC) will present “Stomp Out the Muslim Ban!”, an art protest and dance rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall.This event will amplify the voices of young Arab women, convene a broad coalition of partners, and use traditional Arabic dance as a tool to protest anti-Muslim bigotry before the full U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments on the travel ban on October 10th. This case – win or lose – will set a major legal, political, and moral precedent on human rights and foreign policy in the United States of America.

“Stomp Out the Muslim Ban!” will feature a large-scale projection onto Brooklyn Borough Hall’s exterior of a video created by young Arab women showcasing dabkeh, a form of Arab step dancing. The video projection will be accompanied by a rally in which girls and young women are invited to share the impact the Ban and anti-Muslim bigotry has had on them and their communities. “Stomp Out the Muslim Ban!” will close with a group dance, in which all attendees of the rally will learn to dance dabkeh, celebrating Arabic culture while protesting bigotry.

Young women leading “Stomp Out the Muslim Ban!” are members of AAFSC’s Audacious Young Women of Action! (AYWA!) Initiative. AYWA! (which means “Yes!” in Arabic) is a leadership and social justice advocacy program for Arab, Middle Eastern, Muslim and South Asian girls and young women.

The event is held in partnership with the National Network for Arab American Communities (NNAAC)’ TAKE ON HATE Campaign and The Illuminator an art-activist collective. This event is being held in cooperation with the national #NoMuslimBanEver Campaign a grassroots awareness and mobilization effort happening in the weeks leading up to and on October 10, 2017.